Tag: animals

Posted in animals, dogs

Turtling

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We’ve got a turtle in our neighborhood. Sometimes he camps out in our driveway, driving our little dog nuts. Other times we find him in the middle of the street, just daring the traffic to drive by. This morning, our big dog encountered the turtle!

Yeah, he quickly shut himself up tight as a drum when that big nose came in for a sniff. The big girl was fascinated by this elusive playmate who wouldn’t come out to play. It wasn’t until we were thirty feet away that the turtle poked his head out to see what was going on. We watched from a distance as he moved surprisingly fast into the wooded lot just up the street.

Why are turtles so fascinating to dogs and to people? They are easy to catch, but hard to get to know. They are both secluded and right there in the middle of the street. They are always at home, their houses on their back. But they withdraw when you try to get to know them.

Who else carries their home with them? Snails, hermit crabs (borrowed homes), and full time RV-ers. Backpackers on the Appalachian Trail? Cross-country bike riders? I find that self-sufficiency fascinating.

We used to have a hybrid camper trailer. The ends folded out into the tent-like sleeping areas. If we didn’t want to open up the ends because of a storm, we could just shut ourselves in safe and secure, a technique called “turtling.”

I’ll bet we all have moments when we want to “turtle.” Just pull our heads, hands, and feet in and shut ourselves off from the world.

Just for a moment.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

If we could talk with the animals

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Leohoho on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Numbers 22.

So far in reading through the bible there’s only been one talking animal, the serpent in the garden. Now, in response to Balaam’s beating, the donkey asks, “Why are you hitting me? What did I ever do to you? (Numbers 22:28)

This doesn’t seem to surprise Balaam at all, who engages in a conversation with the donkey. It’s not shocking for many readers like myself who often find ourselves talking with animals.

In fact, first thing in the morning, you’ll hear me talking to our Great Dane. “Good morning. How ya doin’? Come on, let’s go outside, then we’ll get you something to eat.” A wagging tail and a little wake up howl lets me know we’re on the same page. At the zoo I catch myself talking to the elephant: “Hey, turn around. I want to get a picture of something besides your butt!” Who hasn’t driven by a pasture with some cows, rolled down the window and let loose a long, “Mooooo”? I’ll engage in a little call and response with the birds singing at sunrise.

I know it’s not exactly the same, but I love communicating with animals. The dogs recognize plenty of words like treat, ball, bone, food, ride, and walk. I know what their different yips and woofs mean, too.

As Balaam learns, it pays to listen to animals. The donkey is the one who first saw the angel of the Lord. If she hadn’t stubbornly resisted Balaam’s leading, he would have died (Numbers 22:33)!

What do animals perceive and understand better than me? My dogs have a wonderful sense of who to trust or not. They hear thunder in the distance before me. They notice bunnies by the side of the road before I do. Somehow they know when someone is walking past the front of the house, and they usually let me know.

Talking animals? Makes sense to me.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Some animals and a garden

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 2.

I started reading the bible again.

What I mean is I just finished up the book of Revelation and started in Genesis again yesterday morning. I get through the whole bible about once a year so it all sounds familiar. But something new always touches my heart.

This morning, I read about God putting the first man in Eden to cultivate and tend it, and name the animals (Genesis 2:2:15, 20). I thought to myself, “We all start out that way.”

Within the first year of having children, we’re teaching them to identify animals and animal sounds. “What does the cow say?” “Moo!” Parents and grandparents sing endless choruses of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” Small plastic and large stuffed animals fill toy rooms.

Early on we teach them to smell flowers. Toddlers quickly learn to pick a weed and bring it to mom. Fruit quickly becomes part of their meals, first pureed, then chopped up. Playrooms fill up with plastic pretend food.

It never gets old. I still love to go to the zoo, an aquarium, or arboretum. I am fascinated and delighted by the endless array of animals, birds, fish, and plants. We were created to connect with nature, which connects us with the Creator. That connection is a powerful part of who I am.

Posted in zoo

Spending some time with the giraffes

Posted on by William Douthwaite

It’s always fun feeding the giraffes at the zoo. It was even better when the big guy, A. J., showed up for a snack yesterday.

It was the perfect day for a trip to the zoo. My wife and I had two grandsons with us, and we met my daughter with her three girls. We got there early, so it wasn’t hot or crowded. For an extra ten bucks you get unlimited carousel and train rides, 4D movies, and feeding the giraffes at the zoo.

We took the train to the back end of the zoo, where we got to see the two seven-month-old tiger cubs and the Komodo dragon. After that we rode the carousel twice, played on the splash pad, brushed the goats, and ate lunch. Then it was on to the lions, elephants, manatees, and the giraffes.

Feeding the giraffes means a zoo worker gives you a leafy branch and you hold it out so a waiting giraffe can take it from you with her long, blue tongue. Carrying our one-year-old granddaughter, I got in line for her first giraffe experience.

When it was our turn, the male giraffe nudged his way up to the platform. The Jacksonville, FL zoo has a number of females, but only one male. He doesn’t come over for a snack very often, so this was a special occasion.

His name is A. J., and he is sixteen-and-half feet tall. I held out our elm branch, and he only sniffed it at first. The zoo worker said, “He likes to think about it first.” A. J. then licked it, but didn’t take the branch. Finally, he wrapped his foot-long tongue around the stick and crunched it up as my granddaughter pulled back a few inches.

I’ve fed the giraffes before, but never realized how much bigger the males are. I knew they had horns on their head, but never knew that the horns had fur and patches of color just like the rest of his body.

It was cool seeing giraffes in the wild on a safari in Kenya ten years ago. It’s cool to see one up close, too.

In the Masai Mara, Kenya, Africa, 2013
Posted in Stories

“There’s a pig.”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We decided to take the dogs out on a different route for their daily walk today. A different loop through a nearby neighborhood would give us a new selection of homes and landscaping to check out.

Walking along a busy road on the way to the loop, my wife stopped and said, “There’s a pig.” Her words didn’t immediately register, but I paused to look my left and sure enough, a pig was rooting around in a backyard.

While our city prohibits most farm animals, Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs are classified and allowed as pets. This guy was a big guy, a lot larger than others I’ve seen. He looked happy, but the yard and the house were a mess. Maybe that’s why the city has a lot of rules about animals.

It’s been twenty-eight years since we lived in Iowa. That’s where this city boy learned most of what he knows about farming. In Iowa, drive time radio was all about weather and farm futures. Back then, market-ready pigs grew to 250 pounds in 250 days. Hog farming and pork production was a big deal.

Here in Florida, though, wild hogs are a nuisance and pot-bellied pigs are a novelty and good for a laugh.

Posted in zoo

I hope the animals got a raise

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Either the zookeepers union got what they wanted or all the animals got a nice raise, because a trip to the zoo has become expensive.

We frequent the Jacksonville (Florida) zoo. It’s the best one within driving distance, even though it takes us over an hour to get there. A membership there used to be a great deal. I think we paid $140 for an annual family membership which included two named adults and four unnamed grandchildren. Two trips with a could of kids and it paid for itself. Now it’s $75 per adult and $60 per named child.

If you visit the zoo more than three times a year, the membership will be worth it since admission is $29.95 for adults and $24.95 for children. That’s if you buy them online at least a day ahead of time. Add $5 for tickets purchased day of your visit.

Oh, and that doesn’t include the train, the carousel, feeding giraffes a piece of lettuce, and a movie in the 4D theater. Everyone must pay a flat $10 extra for total experience tickets, which includes all of those things. Even members. And you cannot purchase any of those things separately. And I can’t imagine telling the grandkids, “No, you can’t ride the train or the carousel.” That’s pretty much what they want to do at the zoo.

Kona shaved ice trucks are strategically positioned around the park. Moms and dads can get a $10 beer or wine to go along with a $14 burger. A cup of ice cream tastes great, but sets you back $9. And of course, you exit the zoo through the gift shop. I know, these aren’t Disney prices, but if you aren’t careful, you could spend $100 per person.

The last time we went was disappointing. The much promoted tiger cubs had the day off. All the animals from the Americas (bear, coyote, eagle, etc.) were off site while their habitats were bring rebuilt. The stingrays were on sabbatical.

Having said all that, I still love going to the zoo. We bring our lunch and some drinks. We know how to bypass the gift shop. The elephants and giraffes are more than happy to pose for pictures. It’s all good.

Posted in dogs

Was he dead or playing possum?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On our morning walk this morning, the dogs caught a whiff of this possum out in a neighbor’s front yard. For a moment, I thought he was dead. Then I remembered that possums “play possum,” or pretend to be dead when threatened. I thought they were nocturnal. I can’t remember the last time I saw one in the day time.

So I did some research. Opossums can be out day or night foraging for food. And they don’t just pretend to be dead. Apparently, they faint when threatened and express an unpleasant odor so that a predator will leave them alone.

My friend Phil called them “soft shell armadillos.” He was not a fan. But it was armadillos, not possum, that was digging up his yard.

Opossums are immune to venom and are rabies resistant. They are omnivores, and will eat a lot of the snails, slugs, beetles, and ticks found in gardens.

We never know who we’ll meet on our walks!

Posted in dogs

My favorite animal? It’s not even close.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Bloganuary writing prompt
What is your favorite animal?
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Anyone who’s read any of my blog posts would know that dogs are at the top of my list. My life has been filled with dogs and dog stories. I love going to the zoo to see the elephants, lions, and giraffes, but I love coming home to our dogs even more.

Other pets along the way have included aquarium fish, hermit crabs, a few cats, and a parakeet. They all had bit parts in our life. All the awards for best supporting actors go to the dogs.

Mild-mannered Gabriel the Labrador retriever pinned a suspicious repairman against the wall in our Baltimore home. Chica was the world’s fastest three-legged chihuahua. Michael the Labrador had enough energy to accompany me on six-mile runs through the snow in Des Moines, Iowa. Samson the lab/shepherd mix ran off energy by chasing a laser pointer at breakneck speed up and down the street. Sable the Bassett hound howled along with every siren in the distance. Gabriel and Rachel, yellow and black labs respectively, retieved balls until they dropped from exhaustion.

Each one was fluent in the dialect of our home. Their vocabulary included “ball,” “bone,” “park,” and “bike ride” as well as the requisite “sit,” “come,” and “heel.”

More than just animals or pets, they’ve always been our guardian angels. Presently assigned to us: Winston the West Highlands White Terrier and Willow the Great Dane.

Posted in dogs, Life

Walking around: miles of kids, dogs, and friends

Posted on by William Douthwaite

My early morning and late afternoon walks with Winston (our West Highland White Terrier) take us around all the eleven streets of our neighborhood.

We know all the kids at the bus stops. The younger ones always want to pet the dog. Winston’s tail begins wagging four times a second when we’re still fifty yards away, so happy to see his friends. Keep in mind, he thinks everyone is his best friend. He enthusiastically wriggles, hops, spins, rolls over, and thoroughly enjoys their attention.

We know most of the dogs in the neighborhood, too. There’s Bailey the Shih Zhu, Blue the Golden Retriever, Ramona the Rat Terrier, Sadie the some-kind-of-terrier, Sophie the black miniature Poodle, Winston the Maltese (a miniature version of Winston), Gunnar the Brittney Spaniel, Franco the Rottwiler, Natchez, a mixed breed, Teddy a nervous little terrier, and an assortment of Labs, Shepherds, Terriers, and Chihuahuas. As I write this, I realize there are a lot of dogs around here. Sometimes they are out with their owners, sometimes they bark at us from a window. I always ask Winston, “What are they saying?” He refuse to tell me. Must be some kind of honor code among canines.

We watch all the new houses being built and get to meet a lot of the new neighbors moving in. They are, of course, all best friends.

We know where all the bunnies are going to be, too. They are so funny. The bunnies think that if they sit real still by the edge of the road, no one will notice them. Winston sees them long before I do. His excitement builds as he thinks, “I think I can catch him today!” Of course, he never does. The bunny is much faster and scoots off into the woods, leaving nothing but a scent behind. Winston doesn’t dwell on it. I am sure he thinks, “I’ll get him next time!”

Early this morning, an SUV began to back out of a driveway when Winston and I were about ten yards away. I don’t take any chances. I stopped and Winston immediately sat, just like he supposed to do. Once the man had backed out I said, “Heel,” and we were on our way. He rolled down his window and said, “Thank you!” I though that was really nice. Most people don’t even notice us and roar away. That little moment made my day.